vancouverpetunia

Yeah, I may go with David's for BMs. My girls are in Portland, OR and Toronto, and I'm in Vancouver, so we're not going to be able to get together for a day of shopping. Since there is David's here and in both of their cities, at least we can all look at the same dresses, same colours, etc. I know you probably can do this with other lines (i.e. get the name of the line, the model numbers and find a local place that has them), this just seems easier. I'm looking at one of these two colors below (Oasis or Pacific). Pacific looks more turquoise/green than how it appears in the photo (at least on my screen), and both look brighter than this. I like Oasis more as a color, but when I saw it on a dress it seemed a bit much, so I'm not sure. I'm thinking I'll just tell my BMs to pick any short dress they like in the color I end up choosing. @@Victoriabride I gotta say, my dress is sooooo comfortable. It's not heavy (although the beading does add a bit of weight). But more importantly the bottom layer is stretchy without being clingy. It almost feels like I'm wearing a nightgown. LOL

@@racht33 We are booked at Now Sapphire for next April. So far I am very happy with our WC. Very responsive compared to most, it seems. They do nickel & dime you as well, but it seems that is the case with most resorts. It also depends on what you want. If you are happy with one of the packages and don't want to add anything, then you are set. It's once you start adding things that every single little thing will cost you. We've stayed at Grand Sunset/Riviera Princess a few years ago and did consider it for our wedding. We've been to 4 AIs in the area, plus a quick site visit (2-3 hours) at Now Sapphire recently. GSP has probably been our favorite to date (not counting Sapphire, since we haven't stayed there yet). Love the layout of the resort with the "lazy river" and lots of pool areas. Plus the walk-out suites look really cool. And I think the adults-only section has been recently renovated. It's a big property, lots of walking, but it didn't bother us. The beach is smaller and not the greatest, as I recall, but I've also seen worse (in terms of seaweed, rocks, etc.). It seemed pretty reasonable for wedding packages, etc. But our TA told us that another TA recently had his wedding there and did not have the greatest experience. Between that, and knowing that the food wasn't the greatest (perfectly acceptable, but we weren't blown away), we decided to try something different. I've also stayed at Dreams Tulum (for a wedding), BlueBay Grand Esmeralda and the Barcelo complex, so if you have any questions about those, I would be happy to answer them as best as I can (from a guest's perspective, not a wedding perspective). EDIT: GSP is quite close to Playa, so that is probably a plus for you. I still have the wedding package details they sent me if you would like me to send them to you. PM me with your email address if you want them.

@@calgarybride2015 I did ring the bell LOL! It was kinda silly but kinda cute.

I actually had a pretty good experience there. Our "stylist" was working with me and another bride. I felt a little neglected standing around, waiting for her to finish each dress with the other girl (esp since my dresses were so simple to pull on and off as compared to a standard bridal gown). But she was friendly and knew her stuff. My girlfriend & I went for lunch to mull it over and when we came back, the store was much quieter. Then she was great! Remembered our names, spent lots of time with us, talked to the seamstress about what would be possible with the dress (I was concerned about all the beading), even talked to her about seeing if the shoes could be "unscuffed", but they suggested any attempts to get the marks off might stain the satin. She gave me about 3 hugs. She was sweet. It's just a bit of an assembly line when they are busy, which I gather is most of the time.

The Dress I very unexpectedly said yes to the dress today! I wanted a short dress and was actually leaning towards a BM dress. Given that you don't need as much time to order BM dresses, I wasn't going to do anything about it until the fall (hopefully lose some weight between now and then!). But I've been wanting to get an idea of what I want and I wanted to be sure that I didn't want a more traditional wedding dress where I would need more time to get it ordered. So I have been to a few bridal stores. Today I hit up David's. I was skeptical. So many mixed reviews about the place. But they have a few really cute short dresses on their web site and the price point is great - around $200 for the ones I liked. It was the first one I tried and it was not what I thought I was looking for (typical, right?). It was tank style and fully beaded. I thought I wanted a-line and lace and/or chiffon. It's been discontinued and there are only 8 left in Canada, so I walked out with it today! I'll need to have the straps taken up a bit and I might need to have it taken in, depending on how much weight I lose, but it's a pretty good fit right now. I also ended up getting shoes! Wedges with an ankle strap and rhinestones across the toes. Those had to be ordered in, as the pair in stock had marks on it. I can't believe it will take 10 weeks?!? Not that I'm in any hurry. So, with no further ado... the dress (and shoes)! http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_short-beaded-tank-dress-with-v-neckline-061896880_wedding-dresses-short-wedding-dresses Oh and it was marked down from $249 to $179. Even better.

@@Wafflesmom I can't decide either. I love flowers and had planned to get bouquets, but they seem like such a waste. I know you can use the bouquets at the reception, but there will only be 3 bouquets (including mine), and 4 - 5 tables, plus I get one centerpiece included, so I think I might just do centerpieces so they all match. The clutches are such a great idea, reusable and look great in photos. But I love flowers... I don't know!

In terms of those still left to book or respond, I'm not going to get too worried about most of them. Like @ said, they are adults, and they can figure out their own sh*t, I figure When I sent out my last reminder last weekend, I did note that the resort was filling up and they risk paying a higher cost or even not getting into the resort at all. Hopefully people took me seriously (but probably not)! I expect most of the stragglers won't come. With the 8 that I do think will come, I will be checking in on them from time to time. They all have good reasons for not booking now or with our TA. Most of them are coming for different days than our group rate applies or they are booking separate flights because they are coming from other countries and/or continuing on elsewhere after the wedding, so it makes sense. I hope they all do come, as they are pretty important people to me, particularly my BM, of course. Good idea to send out another email down the road to those who are still on the fence. Our final booking deadline would be early December (although rates are no longer guaranteed), assuming availability. I'll have the TA keep an eye on availability and send something when things are really getting tight.

@@jeffandrobyn Thanks for the warning about the decor. When I asked originally, the WC said it would be something like $400 plus to set up poles, etc. if I wanted lights over the dining area. But then I asked about stringing them in the pergola and along the railing where the tables will be set up (i.e. no poles required) and he said it would be $100 per area, so $200. But I will double-check, as $400+ is ridiculous.

Guest Booking/Travel Deadline Update Well, our travel booking deadline is tomorrow. After that our room block/seat block is released and rates are not guaranteed. Guests need to each pay a $250 deposit by tomorrow, with the remainder due in early December. I've been chipping away all week at bugging various people about booking and we got 10 more people confirmed. Of our 20 rooms/40 seats, we have 14 rooms booked and 29 seats taken (plus my cousin is bringing her step-daughter's family, who is not invited to the wedding, as I don't know them, but they take up another room plus 5 seats). So total 15 rooms & 34 seats. That's 27 guests + us. Unfortunately a couple of the rooms (including ours, since we didn't book a package with a flight) don't qualify for the room credit, but at this point we are pretty much guaranteed 2 room credits (1 free room for every 5 booked). YAY! We might get lucky and hit the max of 3 if a few more people book packages after the deadline. We also have 2 who have booked directly with the resort and I expect another 8, plus a few kids, to book later and/or on their own for various reasons. I'm 99% sure they will be there. There are a bunch of others who have not given us an indication either way - we might pick up a few more from that group, but not many. So looks like we will be at 40 - 45 when the dust settles. Pretty much where I thought we would be. We invited 75, including 13 kids. Glad this is pretty much done, except I am a bit worried about those who haven't booked, as the resort is filling up quickly, so I'll have to continue to hound them. Including my BM and my make-up artist. Yikes! EDIT: Oh, and random update on my FIL. He is recovering well although still has a long ways to go. Thanks for the well wishes!

I'm not really a DIY kinda gal... I didn't even know Michael's had a wedding section! I'll go check it out. Thanks again, ladies!

@@mack6215 Have a great time! We'll look forward to your return to hear how it went and see some photos.

@@calgarybride2015 I went back to your planning thread and found a photo of your fans. Thanks! Do you know if Michael's carries them in other colors? I checked their web site but I didn't find them at all. What section would they be in at the store? I'm not sure which I like better, yours or @@TinkerSofi's. But if there are other colors available, that might tip the scales. Thanks, ladies!

@@TinkerSofi Where did you get the fans and how much, if you don't mind me asking? I'm thinking of something similar.

Bummer. I went to Payless and tried on the lace wedge shoes. The 6.5 is too small and the 7 is too large. It's a no go. Oh well, that would have been too easy, right? First shoe I tried?

@@DinaQtobe That sounds delicious! You can just order that at the regular bars as well? I need to remember that!

@@veryvalentine Did you make that jewellery? It's gorgeous. Maybe you need to start your own Etsy shop, too

@@TinkerSofi - So are you walking down the aisle solo and both of your parents will be at the front?

@@yj2cute Where did you find those shoes? I really like them

I'm debating what to do with this as well. My sister had both of my parents walk her down the aisle, so I don't think there is any issue there. But I'm leaning towards having no one walk me down the aisle and I'm wondering if my parents would be upset by that. I just can't get over the idea of being "given away". I realize it doesn't have to take on that meaning, but it bugs me. I'm also thinking of my dad only (I'm a daddy's girl), but since my sister already had both parents, I wonder if that will upset my mom. Sigh.

@@veryvalentine @ Thanks for the feedback. @@veryvalentine you make a good point in that I'll be able to see your photos soon (so soon!!!!). Our wedding isn't for 11 months, so I have lots of time. I don't think either of my girls will need a plus size. But being busty myself, I hate the look when it's "all boob" so I just want to make sure that doesn't happen. And also since the material is stretchy, I don't want it to cling to the wrong places. I'm not big, but I'm also not the skinniest girl in the world, and one of my BMs is a bit larger than me. One thing I really hate and that makes me self-conscious is something that shows off the lumps & bumps around my middle, if you know what I mean. I don't want her to end up in that boat either. Maybe a good idea to order one for me like I think you both did. If I like it then, I can order the other two. Will add a bit to my shipping costs, but whatever.

@@veryvalentine I was wondering about your BM dresses (sorry if I have missed an update). If I followed your thread correctly, you ordered one from Daint Yard to give it a try and then ended up ordering more for all of your BMs. Have you received the other dresses yet? I'm wondering how they all turned out and how they look on your BMs. I'm thinking of these or something similar, but my BMs are pretty busty, and one is a bit curvier as well. I'm just wondering how they might work for them. Will they cling too much? Will they be modest enough? etc.